Multiple Chapters on "Charter School Policy in the State of Virginia"

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References

APPENDICES ?

Chapter I: Introduction

Charter schools have been a contentious topic throughout the United States for several decades. The legislature in the state of Virginia passed laws allowing charter schools beginning in 1998; as of now, only four charter schools exist in the state. With state legalization of charter schools, efforts at the local level are now key to actually establishing more charter schools. Policy in the state of Virginia has not been conducive to the establishment of charter schools. Reform in the states policy in regards to charter schools could lead to an increased establishment of schools in the municipality and statewide.

The State of Virginia first passed its charter school law in 1998. In 2010, the Virginia General Assembly approved two changes to the law. The first, HB 1390, established a new procedure for the state Board of Education to review charter applications or reconsider denied applications. The second, SB 736M, approved a new type of charter school, College Partnership Laboratory Schools, to be established by public higher education institutions with teacher education programs.

Prior changes made to the law in 2002 and 2004 were designed to help clear the way for building a stronger charter school movement, by removing obstacles and ensuring that applications get considered fairly. In 2009, Governor Kaine signed legislation authored by Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter to make these changes permanent, and also to remove the caps on the number of charter schools in the state.

Today, Virginia has four charter schools, with the fourth being opened in the summer of 2010. In response to both the success of charters nationwide, and to the changes that have opened up the Commonwealth's charter school laws, many communities have begun to consider charter schools as a tool to increase options for parents.

Charter schools are nonsectarian, public schools of choice. They are granted special autonomy to run independently of their traditional local school system in exchange for meeting agreed-upon levels of student academic performance. They can offer a specialized and innovative educational vision, or simply represent a new choice for parents. Charters are often smaller than other public schools, allowing them to offer certain advantages by virtue of that smallness. Nationally, there are currently over 4,500 charter schools serving over 1.4 million students. Nearly two-thirds of these have waiting lists. Forty states and the District of Columbia have charter school laws.

Charter schools also represent a valuable restructuring tool for policymakers seeking to meet their communities' educational needs. Any Virginia school failing to achieve at least 70% of its students passing the SOL tests could lose its state accreditation. At that point, such a school will have to have a corrective action plan signed by its principal and superintendent, and then approved by the local school board and State Board of Education. As this deadline approaches, reorganization into charter schools offering new approaches and options for parents will make great sense.

In addition, charter schools are an integral part of the public school choice options required of school districts by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. These are options for parents of children served by schools that have been designated chronically underperforming or "in need of improvement."

Attention Step

Charter schools are nonsectarian, public schools of choice. They are granted special autonomy to run independently of their traditional local school system in exchange for meeting agreed-upon levels of student academic performance. They can offer a specialized and innovative educational vision, or simply represent a new choice for parents. Charter schools are often smaller than other public schools, allowing them to offer certain advantages by virtue of that smallness.

Nationally, there are currently over 4,500 charter schools serving over 1.4 million students. Nearly two-thirds of these have waiting lists. Forty states and the District of Columbia have charter school laws.

Issue Statement

Current state education policies inhibit the development of Charter schools in the state Virginia.

Research Objective

The objective of this policy analysis is to identify potential policy reforms that will promote the development of charter schools in the state Virginia.

Research Questions

What education policies have led to the establishment of charter schools in other states?

What policies exist in the state of Virginia in regards to public and charter schools?

What is the relation of charter schools to the public school system in the state of Virginia?

What other public barriers to the establishment of charter schools exist in the state of Virginia?

How can the barriers be mitigated through policy reforms?

Project Limitations

Paul Leedy and Jeanne Ormrod (2005) define delimitations as issues that the research is not going to address in a specific research project. For purposes of this project, research is confined within the realms of education policies within the state of Virginia. Let it also be noted that other limitations affected research during this project. The researcher had a limited period of time and limited resources for the study. The researcher had to spend time out of town or away from research due to work commitments. The researcher continued to work full time and to fulfill other graduate school requirements and military obligations during the research project.

Interim Summary

This policy analysis will answer the five questions identified above for the purpose of determining how reformation of current state policy concerning charters schools will promote the development of charter schools in the state of Virginia.

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

Overview and Procedures Review

This chapter provides historical and current literature from authoritative sources that proves that the current policy concerning charter schools is hindering the development of charter schools within the state of Virginia.

Research Questions and Finding

The research questions are needed to give the research focus and direction. The questions also help narrow the scope of the research and help determine what type of research methods will be used to help answer the questions being asked.

Key Literature Findings

The Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 2311, Public Charter School Fund, during the 2006-2007 session that amended the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-

212.5:1, establishing a public charter school fund. To date, no gifts, grants, bequests, or donations have been received in the fund for disbursement. The Virginia General Assembly's most recent change to the charter school law was in 2009, and the change was to remove the limit on the number of public charter schools that could be established in a school division.

Charter schools are public schools that are granted special flexibility to innovate and freedom from many school district rules and policies in exchange for maintaining agreed-upon levels of academic results. They are different from Virginia's Governor's Schools or magnet schools because they are prohibited from using selective admissions policies -- any child living in the school district may attend, and waiting lists are resolved by open lottery. They do not charge tuition.

Currently in Virginia, only local school boards have the authority to approve charters, and only then with serious restrictions on their operating autonomy. Virginia charter school leaders, for instance, are not given the authority to hire and replace teachers and administrators as they do in other states, and instead must rely on their school district's central office to handle personnel matters for them. Most successful charter leaders consider this ability among their most essential tools for attaining -- and maintaining -- educational excellence.

Also in Virginia, although the "charter" itself is a contract between a school board and charter school leaders, school boards may terminate the agreement any time and without cause, even if the charter is living up to its end of the bargain. These precarious terms make it difficult for Virginia charters to raise the substantial fundraising dollars that high-performing charters in other states are able to rely on. It even makes it difficult for them to secure the financing other charters use to build or develop first-rate buildings and facilities that are best suited to their educational model.

Virginia's situation is unique because of the extremely restrictive law its legislators passed in 1998, allowing for charter schools to exist in the first place -- with only local school boards reviewing charter school applications and authorizing only those they see fit to open. Applicants who are rejected have no recourse, since an appeals process… READ MORE